Yes really, Cathy Barrow ran around the US for a year to promote her cookbook, taking every opportunity. (Photo courtesy Allrecipes.com)
By Cathy Barrow
It was a year of saying “Yes” to every cookbook promotion opportunity.
In November 2014, my cookbook, Mrs. Wheelbarrow’s Practical Pantry, hit the shelves. My publicist planned nearly 50 events in the first four months after launch.
As enthusiastic as I was about those first crazy months, I wanted to give the book a full year of my attention. It took a year to write it, so shouldn’t it take a year to tell everyone about it?
After many long talks with my spouse about how to structure the year, I decided to limit travel to one week per month and appearances to two weekends a month. We committed resources and time (and airplane miles and hotel points) and leaned heavily on the kindness of friends.
Over the past year, there were more than 50 flights, not to mention so many hotel rooms, train trips, bus rides, and car trips. I criss-crossed the country twice, drove through a bit of the Midwest, appeared here and there in the South, dawdled in Seattle, dined and dished in the Bay Area, jammed in New England, and made pork barbecue with all the condiments across the state of Texas. I slept in guest rooms, on couches, in swanky hotels. I appeared in bookstores, gift shops, garden centers, farmers markets, and a senior living center.There have been radio interviews, television appearances, podcasts, and phone and web interviews. To every opportunity, I said, “Yes,” And it was worth it.
It’s on the author’s shoulder to be creative and find new places and new ways to get the word out. I looked for opportunities to market my book everywhere and, predictably, some events were better than others.
Here’s what I suggest:
1. Get ready to demo. Practice making a handful of your best recipes in front of people. Select recipes with a good tip or trick to pass along. Make sure the ingredients aren’t too expensive. If people see what you do, taste the food, meet you as a cook and enthusiast, they’re going to buy the book.
2. Tell your story. When people came to see me, signed up for a class or turned to a podcast, I found that talking about the recipes wasn’t enough. I needed to tell my story too. The more I opened up about my life, — — how I came to canning, why I do what I do — the more successful my events were.
Have a few anecdotes to pull out so you don’t gasp for air when asked a personal question. It’s okay to repeat the anecdote but not okay to sound bored with it yourself.
Surprisingly, despite the subject of her cookbook, events at farmer’s markets didn’t work.
3. Pick your venues carefully. Farmer’s markets didn’t work for me. You’d think they would be a natural, given the subject of my book. But I sold very few books as attendees grabbed food and walked on. It was so disheartening that I’ve sworn off standing behind a table at a farmers market forevermore.
4. Expect that readings can be hit or miss. Readings were all right, but some were terribly disappointing and in a couple of cases, downright depressing. If you’re into schadenfreude, read the wonderful Mortification, a collection of essays from writers and poets on book touring.
Fewer real bookstores exist any more. What about that romantic notion of authors traveling from bookstore to bookstore doing readings and signing books? Sadly, these days are over. Yet, at a few great cookbook-loving bookshops – Kitchen Arts & Letters, Politics & Prose, Omnivore, Book Larder, Book Passage – I experienced such a sweet confluence with the customers and the owners, it was a joy to be there.
Regardless, bookstores are critical for smaller events. Ask if the local independent bookstore (if there is one) will do remote selling. Otherwise you’ll have to carry books in the trunk of your car. Or do both.
5. Book ticketed hands-on events when possible. Ticketed events guarantee an interested group of people. There are wonderful, well-run, professional cooking schools all across the country and I am still in awe of the talented chefs who made me look like a star.
6. Build a group of events around an invitation. To get invites, stay active in all your networks: social media, naturally, but also university clubs, work friends and their book groups, and friends who have moved far and wide have their own networks too.
When I received an invitation to a Saturday book festival, I built in a private dinner at a friend’s restaurant on Friday night. I booked a Sunday morning book signing at an independent bookstore and a Sunday afternoon class at the local cookware shop. A Monday morning signing and coffee with the garden club made it a perfect weekend of opportunities.
It’s a big job to make all those calls and arrange for books at each event, but it can be done. Or hire an assistant to take care of travel arrangements so you can focus on communicating with the venues. Every time I cooked for people, or spent time face to face, the book sold.
7. Don’t forget to recharge while promoting. If your book is about to hit the shelves, get a lot of rest, and get ready. Promoting is hard work, alternatively hilarious, infuriating, educational, and motivational. Have fun and remember to recharge whenever you can. Rest, sleep, meditate, run, do yoga, drink wine… whatever it takes.
The chance to meet so many people — especially long-time readers of my blog and writers I admire – has made all the travel and the time away from home worthwhile. Connecting with people face-to-face has to be one of the best reasons to say “Yes.”
* * *
Cathy Barrow is the author of the award-winning Mrs. Wheelbarrow’s Practical Pantry, a cookbook that began with the start of her blog about canning and preserving in 2009. She is the co-creator of Charcutepalooza and has written for The New York Times.
THANK YOU FOR THIS. So many questions answered.
Get ready, Jennifer. You’re next!
Congratulations on the success of your cookbook and thank you for your candor. My first self-published cookbook will arrive from the printer in two weeks so your advice is timely. 🙂
Thank you so so much. This is helping me structure my year ahead as my cookbook is out in 5 months. I have many challenges with childcare and single parenthood to juggle plus wanting my book to succeed. These tips have really assisted in making me focus on what is important and where my attention must lie. Thank you!! And best of luck with everything x
Have fun and remember to stay flexible and open to every opportunity!
Wonderful, Cathy. And 50 EVENTS!–you had a great publicist.
Isn’t that incredible? Hardly anyone gets that.
I worked very hard with Lauren to figure out what to do and where to go. I watched all my favorite authors for the year I was writing the book, making notes and asking questions. You have to be involved in the process to get good results. But isn’t that true about all of life?
Bravo to Cathy!
I have always been fearful about writing a book, mainly because of the touring. I’ve worked jobs that required a lot of travel, but I know that still doesn’t compare to how intense a book tour can be.
I love how Cathy broke this topic down – high points, low points, advice on how to do it, and how not to do it – just like a well-taught preserving class.
Thanks for posting this, Dianne.
While I no longer wish to write a book, mostly because I can’t even find time to write on my blog, let alone commit to a book, I still follow both of your adventures and continue to be inspired by your never-ending projects.
Now get to work on another book, Mrs Wheelbarrow!
B XO
Hah! Thank you Brook. Great to hear from you. And you need to get back to your blog.
I’m on it Brook! As soon as I can get off the road!
Wonderful advice, Cathy! Totally agree about farmers markets. I had to stop saying yes to those a while back.
Eek, Aviva! They are the worst! At one, a woman asked if she had to buy the whole book. After I stopped sputtering, she clarified. “Aren’t all these recipes on the Internet?” So disheartening. And for the record, no, they aren’t all on the Internet.
Thank you so much for your words and thoughts, Cathy. I’m a year away from book tour and all advice is welcome! In addition to what your publisher provided, did you hire a private publicist?
No, Kate, I didn’t. I decided I would rather spend that money on the travel and hotel expenses. Some people work out an arrangement with their publisher to cover the cost, or split the cost, of a professional publicist.
Right on target! After writing 10 cookbooks and awaiting #11, Edible Flowers: A Kitchen Companion, in two weeks, I can only stress that you should pick your venues thoughtfully.
I like to engage my audience, so I always try to plan a short demonstration or a chat. Now, I need to combine Moroccan cuisine (last book) and Edible Flowers (next book)! Any good ideas are welcome!
Good luck (and MUCH ENERGY) to you!
Best of luck wth the launch!
Thanks for sharing your tips, Cathy. That is quite an impressive schedule, but it’s good to know that you felt the effort seemed worth it–as long as you avoid those markets. Eek.
Hi Kate – It was quite a year and I’m really glad I did it!
Bravo to Cathy for doing all that work to get her book into as many hands as possible. Her tip number 1 about getting ready to do a demo is a good idea. People like “tips” and tricks, which make them seem like your book is a good value (or worthy addition to their cookbook library). I often suggest to people writing cookbooks that they plan on one or two “killer app” recipes that will not only wow people, but that can be cooked in a skillet and hot plate, if necessary, which is sometimes all you have when you show up to do an event. The recipe shouldn’t be too complicated so you can talk at the same time, and can be handed out as samples easily as well.
Surprised that the farmers’ markets weren’t such big hits in terms of sales, especially since that’s such a big part of the subject of the book. I used to have postcards with the name and cover of my book on it to hand out. (They’re inexpensive, and most publishers would probably pay for them.) With a beautiful cover like Cathy’s book, people might hold on to it and decide to order the book when they get home or buy it at a later date.
David,
Thank you for reminding me about the postcards! I printed (my own expense) postcards with my rugelach recipe on one side and the book cover on the other side, as well a QR code (and printed web address) that clicked through to my Events page on the blog – with all my classes and appearances.
The demos are key. As are classes. They were always my best audiences and resulted in the best sales. I was shocked with the low sales at farmers markets, but when I talk to other authors, they tell me the same thing.
I think classes are good because they are your most dedicated readers/fans (they are paying to see you!) – so sales will usually be good, although they say if 50% of the people buy your book at a class, that’s a good number. At a farmers’ market, the people may or may not know you, and are just “shopping.”
First of all, I am a massive fan and love your book Mrs Barrow! (and, you too Dianne, but you knew that!) Cathy, I heard your interview on the Splendid Table podcast last spring and immediately ordered my copy. So, thank you both for this extremely valuable post. I had been browsing the internet this morning looking for bits and pieces of advice on how to further promote my book which will be released in North America, UK & Ireland in March when I decided to check WWFF. While my publisher publicist is being helpful, there isn’t a large budget for a tour. Especially an international one! I want to be very strategic so your advice has come at just the perfect time…..if it is not too personal, would you feel comfortable sharing a rough breakdown of how many copies you sold in your first year, and how much you attribute the sales to your touring/appearances? I hope you are already working on your next book! xx
Hi Imen, I know this is meant for Cathy, but I just wanted to tell you that there is a whole category of book promotion posts on the right for you to read. Good that you are planning ahead!
Hi Imen, I’m not sure I am comfortable with putting actual numbers out there. Every book has it’s own life. But I feel gratified having signed so many books. That is a very affirming experience!
I loved this! Just say NO to Farmers Market tables. I learned this the hard way too. Thanks for sharing all of this.
Thanks, Jessica! Right? But let me be clear, I love shopping at the farmers market for food!